1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to medical/therapeutic devices and, more particularly, to such devices which apply electrical energy to living tissue.
2. Setting of the Invention
The application of electrical energy to living tissue for medical/therapeutic means is well known, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,327,874; U.S. Pat. No. 2,507,572 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,677.In these patents various devices are described for generating a relatively mild current for treatment of affected tissue. However, there is no disclosure or suggestion in any of these patents of applying varying quantities of high voltage DC current to living tissue for reducing the adverse affects on living tissue of pest attacks and poison injection.
Various types of shock devices are currently marketed whereby a hand portable device includes a dry cell, a step-up transformer and a capacitor connected to a stationary or projectable set of electrodes. These devices are commonly referred to as "cattle prods" or "stun guns" respectively. While these devices do apply high voltage DC current to living tissue, the current is used to jolt or incapacitate a victim. There is no disclosure or suggestion of varying the voltage/amperage of these types of devices for medical/ therapeutic purposes.
A number of years ago the therapeutic affects of high voltage/ amperage applied to poison injection, such as from viper-type snakes, was discovered. In the June 1987 issue of Outdoor Life magazine, an article describes how various people and animals have been treated successfully by the application of high voltage direct current (DC) to the site of a snake bite. However, there is no disclosure or suggestion in this article of any device which can apply varying levels of electrical energy so that bites from poisonous snakes to insects can be treated by the same device.
There is a need for a device which can treat the adverse affects on living tissue from pest attacks and poison injection by the application of varying levels of high voltage direct current (DC).